Shawn Graham Interview
In an exclusive interview, Premier Graham talked about his government
Q: What are your impressions of the 2007 Post Secondary Education report that recommended that UNBSJ lose its status? What did you think of the protests and controversy that followed?
A: “We launched an independent, and I want to emphasize independent, report on how to strengthen our post-secondary education system in the province of New Brunswick. When the report was released, publicly the government had not even received it yet. So we hadn’t had an opportunity to respond. There were many good facets of the report that were student focused that we recognized as being important. We didn’t want to start responding to certain pieces of the report without releasing a complex plan to deal with the transmission. So the conundrum I was faced with at the time was that, you know, we can’t start cherry picking out of this report.
“We’ve always known that UNBSJ would play a strong role and now I think the track record speaks for itself, the record of investments that we’re making here, the infrastructure and the new medical program that’s being developed. But our goal was also to integrate this campus with the community college network in the province of New Brunswick and we’ve been able to achieve that objective today, and I’m very proud the end goals have been met and I was very proud of actually having a debate about post-secondary education in the history of our province. You know it had been decades since we’d seen students become engaged. Because the debate had always centered on healthcare, which is very challenging for governments to find solutions to, here was an opportunity where we found a new model of transforming post-secondary education that’s going to benefit generations to come.”
Q: New Brunswick students face some of the highest rates of student debt in the country. What has your government done to solve this problem?
A: “We’ve taken a number of proactive steps. On the first day of our mandate in 2006, we eliminated the requirement for parental income to be assessed in student loans. That simply didn’t make sense that if you were a young student entering university that you were going to be penalized on the amount of loan you could receive because of your parent’s income. So we changed that policy.”
“We have also for the last three years frozen tuition rates at our universities which has been at a cost of approximately six million dollars a year to government, because the universities had to offset that freeze by having increased funding from government for their increased operational costs, so the government of New Brunswick picked up that cost of freezing tuition versus the students paying for it”
“We also doubled the tuition rebate from $10,000 to $20,000. So if you remain in the province of New Brunswick to work after completing your degree, you’re eligible for those tax credits up to $20,000. And the most innovative program that we’ve put forward is the new cap on student debt, today with the timely completion of your degree your debt will be lowered to $26,000 with the cap in place. So, you may have a student debt load of $32,000 but within four years of completion we’ll cover the difference. This program out debt load more in line with the national average of $24,000 compared to where we were at $32,000.”
Q: You mentioned in your speech that one of the primary concerns facing the province has been retaining young people in the province after they graduate. Is this going to be a major priority for your government if you receive a second mandate?
A: “Our government’s agenda is going to be very much about creating seasoned opportunities for every New Brunswicker, to remain here in the province after they’ve completed their studies. We have an aging population base and we need more young people in the province, which is why we’ve implemented our plan for lower taxes, which is all geared towards growing the middle class in the province of New Brunswick to have more people carry the weight to pay for the social programs like healthcare and education.”
Q: Previous governments in New Brunswick have suggested the possibility of reforming the province’s first past the post system into some kind of mixed system that incorporates elements of proportional representation. What is your government’s position on this issue?
A: “It’s not our government’s priority right now, in the midst of this recession. Our party’s focused on the economy, on the learning agenda, on health and senior care, and that’s where we’re going to stay focused.”
Q: You’ve mentioned that the job of Premier can be personally taxing and stressful. What are some examples?
A: “I literally start every morning 6:00 or 6:30 and I’m out of the house, I don’t arrive at home until 9:30 or 10:00 at night. But, you know, I love this job. I have an opportunity to travel to every corner of the province and across the country. And even though the hours are long, it’s meeting the people and getting their input, for ideas that will better our province that makes this job so rewarding.”
Q: When your premiership reaches its conclusion, what would you like to seen as your government’s
A: “That we truly brought our province into the 21st century, that we undertook some major social reforms in the midst of a global economic recession that made our province stronger and more competitive. And I’m confident that New Brunswick can become self sufficient in the next 20 years. We don’t have the oil and gas reserves today of Nova Scotia or Newfoundland, but we have our people. And that’s what’s going to give us a competitive advantage and we’re laying that foundation today. I’m confident that’s how we’ll be judged in a good light.”
Written by The Baron on 21st April, 2010 at 4:17 pm | Comment (0)